An Egg-cellent Idea
by pikachucutie17
Summary: Mikey hatches a scheme to break Raph from his never-ending vigil over the comatose Leo. It'll take wit, daring, and vengeful chickens.


_A quick birthday present for my friend! Family is always needed, especially after season 2's ending._

* * *

Mikey strolled to the hen house, humming the Krognarg the Barbarian theme song. The bucket in his hand swung through the air with every step, the metal reflecting the mellow light of the morning sun. He threw open the door and spread his arms out wide.

"Good morning, chickies! I've got your breakfast here for you." He reached into the bucket and grasped a handful of feed. The instant the food landed on the floor, the chickens descended and pecked away. However, within seconds, they began craning their head towards Mikey, hungry for more.

"Don't worry girls, there's plenty more for everyone," he reassured them, tossing more feed. "Saddleback, remember to share. Wow, Sickle, those are lovely eggs you've got there. Now if I could just reach over and take those-"

Reacting as if Mikey was a rattlesnake, Sickle let out a gruff cluck and fluffed her feathers. She approached Mikey slowly while flapping her wings, pushing him back towards the door.

"Come on, Sickle, I fed you! Now I need some food back. How about it?

 _Bakaw!_

Sickle, along with many other hens charged, forcing Mikey to jump backwards out of the house and slam the door behind himself. He held his shell against the door to keep the chickens from getting through and scratching up his adorable face. Mikey groaned once the chickens settled down.

"Why is it always me? They never go after Donnie or Raph but the second I show up-" Mikey verbally halted. He snapped his fingers. "Raph! That's it! He can help me fetch the eggs. After all, he did tame those pigeons back home. But how do I get him out here?"

Since their unexpected departure from home, Raph hardly ever left Leo's side. He spent days locked in the bathroom, eating only the occasional meal that April left for him. Even Casey couldn't coax him to step outside of the house. Any attempt would be met with silence or a forlorn look that reminded everyone of how broken he was over Leo's injuries.

The direct approach hadn't worked before, so Mikey would have to accomplish this mission the old fashioned way.

"It's ninja time." Cracking his knuckles, Mikey shoved his hands into the bucket. He stuffed feed into his belt pockets until they spilled into the grass. Narrowing his eyes, he threw open the door to the hen house.

"Come and get me."

His high-pitched screams shattered the quiet of the morning and his feet sprinted for his life across the lawn while the hens trampled the grass beneath their claws. The occasional bat of wings propelled them closer to their target. After several laps around the house, the front door slammed open. At that moment, Mikey "tripped" and flailed as the hens descended upon him. Within seconds, a gruff voice commanded the hens and gentle green hands pulled the turtle out of the fray.

"Hey! Lay off of him, will ya? I'm the only one who gets to teach my little brother a lesson," Raph said, holding his brother steady behind him with one hand and raising the other to pacify the irritated hens. They continued to cluck harshly, not willing to give up so easily. Sickle boldy ducked under Raph's arm and hopped to peck at Mikey's belt. Feed trickled out. Raph glared at the cowering Mikey, who laughed nervously in response.

"Uh… How did that end up in there? I guess my hand was saving me a snack for later." Mikey paused, wondering if he'd angered Raph with his trick. Exhaling through his nostrils, the redbanded turtle leaned down, gripped Mikey's ankles and swept him into the air. Raph shook his brother up and down until he was certain that all of the feed fell out of his pocket.

"The hens chase after you enough. At this point, you're just egging them on." Raph cringed at his own unintentional pun.

"I—just—needed—your—help—getting—the—eggs," Mikey sputtered in between shakes.

"What?" Raph let go, allowing Mikey to plop ungracefully on the ground. "Why didn't you just get someone else to help you?"

"Because you're the pigeon master, so I figured other types of birds might listen to you too," Mikey said, sitting up. "Besides, you need the fresh air."

Raph's eyes flickered away for a moment. Sighing, he reached out his hand.

"Only this one time," he conceded. Mikey took his brother's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up onto his feet. Grinning, he wrapped an arm over his brother's shoulders.

"That's the spirit!"

After collecting the eggs, Raph shoved them into Mikey's awaiting arms and made his way back to Leo's side. Mikey stared after him, wishing he could have seen his exhausted brother smile.

The next morning, Mikey stood outside the hen house, checking that he had enough feed before he entered certain doom. A hand patted his head.

"Need some help?" Mikey whipped around and tightly hugged Raph.

"Raph! I knew you wouldn't let them drill holes in my shell," he exclaimed. Raph smiled and relaxed his tense shoulders.

"Well, I'm not gonna leave you to do this alone. Not if I can help it."


End file.
